Samuel seat



(No Model.)

.s. SEA Y,-Jr.

GAR COUPLING.

- Patented Mar. 18, 1890.

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lmmmmw U IT STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

SAMUEL SEAY, JR, OF THE UNITED sTArEs ARMY; 1

mCAR- COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,532, dated March 18, 1890.

Application filed July 18, 1889.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL SEAY, J12, a

' lieutenant in the United States Army, at pres- Coupler, of which the'following is a full, clear,

and exact description.

This invention relates to car-couplers, the object of the invention being to provide for the automatic coupling of cars, and that, too, irrespective of the height of the draw-heads, and in such a manner that the coupling bar or rod will be free to swing vertically and horizontally within certain defined. limits, the draft upon such rod or bar being equally distributed upon the two jaws of the draw-head, all as will be hereinafter fully explained, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the vlews.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of .my improved car-coupler, the parts being represented as they appear when the coupling-bar is in the position it assumes when adjusted to couple automatically, Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a draw-head and coupling-bar embodying my invention Fig. 3 is a plan view of two draw-heads, one

. of said draw-heads being shown in section;

and Fig. 4 is a plan View of a coupling-bar arranged for use in connection with a drawhead embodying my invention and with a draw-head arranged for use in connection with the ordinary pin-and-link coupling.

In the drawings, 10 represents a dra W head in which there is formed a wedge-shaped recess a,'upon either side of which recess there are upwardly-extending hooks 11, the rear defining faces of which are curved at b to correspond with the curve of the peripheral faces of projections 13, that are rigidly connected to or made integral with a coupling-bar 14.

At the ends of the coupling-bar 14.- there are knobs 15, adapted to engage shoulders 16, that are formed upon the draw-head and arranged to extend within the slota, the arrangement being such that when the knobs 15 are brought into engagement with the shoulders 16 the Serial No. 317,916. (No model.)

coupling-bars 14 will be supported in the position in which the bars, are shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

When the bars are in the position in which they are shown in the figures last above referred to, the coupling-bar will couple automatically with the draw-head of an approaching car, the operation being as follows: If the coupling-bar be carried by the moving car, the draw-head of such moving car in striking the draw-head of the car which is at rest will be suddenly checked, but the inertia of the coupling-bar will not be overcome, and the bar will move forward a sufficient distance to free its knob 15 from engagement with the draw head and the shoulder 16, after which the coupling-bar will drop to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3, the projections 13 upon the extending end of the coupling-bar passing beyond the hooks 11. If the coupling-bar be carried by the stationary car, the shock incident to the meeting of the two draw-heads will cause the draw-head of the stationary car to move back slightly, but suddenly, the inertia of the coupling-bar holding it from this sudden rearward motion, so that the knob will be freed from the draw-head shoulder,

and the coupling-bar will fall forward. In this way an automatic coupling is secured whether the coupling-bar be carried by the moving or the stationary car, the height ofthe draw-heads being immaterial so long as the draw-heads meet.

off to fit in correspondingly-shaped recesses formed to the rear of the hooks 11. This is done to permit of a tension on both shoulders or hooks of the draw-head and at all timesthat is, when the cars are running on a curve as well as when they are upon a straight track.

In this way I maintain a practically-equal strain upon the two hooksor bearing-shoulders of the draw-head.

In Fig. 4 I illustratea coupling-bar such as I would employ if it became necessary to couple a car provided with my improved form of draw-head with a car having a draw-head arranged to couple with the ordinary pin-andlink coupler.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 85 I The cross-bars or projections 13 are rounded 1. The combination, with a draw-head 3. The combination, With a draw-head formed with a recess a, a shoulder 16, and formedwithaWedge-shapedrecess a, shoulder hooks 11, of a coupling-bar formed with later- 16, and hooks 11, having concave faces I), of a. ally-ex'ending projections 13 and knobs 15, coupling-bar formed with convex-faced pro- 5 substantially as described. jections 13 and knobs 15,,substantially as de- 1 5 2. The combination, with a draw-head scribed. formed with a recess a, shoulders 16, and con- SAMUEL SEAY, JR. cave-faced hooks 11, of a coupling-bar formed Witnesses: With convex-facedprojections 13 a short disa W. H. CAMP,

1 o tance from its ends, substantially as described. 1 JAS. FRIER. 

